World of Weaving

Scarf by Suzanne Cali

Do you ever wonder what goes into creating that favorite scarf or shawl you bought at a local boutique or department store?  I guess I always appreciated the beauty of woven articles, but it wasn't until I met Suzanne Cali, artisan and weaver, that I discovered the world of weaving.    

The actual process of running the weft over the warp, is a small percent of the work that goes into creating a handmade textile.  Weaving makes up only 10% of the process.  The pattern must first be designed and the thread selected.

Selecting the right combination of thread texture, strength and color is an important part of the process.  Some artisans repurpose textiles, in this case, the article's threading would need to be laundered, unwoven, and spun on a spindle. 

Suzanne Cali

The warping board is an essential part of the process.  This is where the foundation begins.  Warping boards vary in size, and for her scarves, Suzanne uses a board that is 36" wide with pegs on all sides.  Wrapping the warp is the term for wrapping each thread around the pegs needed to provide the correct yardage for the project. 

Once the warp has been assembled it is taken to the loom for what is referred to as dressing the loom. This is where the threads are wound onto the back beam at an even tension.  Threading the heddles is the next step of the process.  The heddles are accessed from the front of Suzanne's loom,  a Macomber loom made in York, Maine. 

This loom has eight harnesses to hold the heddles.  The harnesses are lifted and lowered by foot treadles, thus creating the weaving patterns.  Now this is the part I imagine would require an insurmountable amount of patience; each  thread is individually threaded in the heddle on a specific harness to build the pattern.  For example,  if a scarf is to be 9" wide, accounting for *drawing in, planning 36 threads in one inch, at least 324 threads will need to be threaded individually into 324 heddles. 

Next it's time for sleying the reed that is,  separate the warp threads by placing the number of threads in each reed dent to total the amount of threads needed per inch. Nearing the end of the preparation process, the ends are tied to the front beam and the foot treadles are "tied up" to the appropriate harnesses.  The bobbin is then filled on the bobbin winder in order to have the weft ready to weave across the warp.  The weft goes left and right and the warp is up and down like a harp. 

Suzanne Cali

Now it's time to weave.  If Suzanne is making an 8.5" x 70" scarf out of silk, her favorite fiber to work with, she would throw her shuttle containing the weft bobbin 36 times across the warp to weave one inch of fiber.  This count would allow for "loom waste" and "draw in" and a few inches for shrinkage.  Thirty-six throws times seventy inches totals 2520 throws. 

Each piece is hemstitched by hand with her weft, laundered and pressed. 

Suzanne Cali has been weaving for almost twenty years.  She began at The Weaving Works in Seattle and has studied at the studio of Madelyn van der Hoogt, in Coupeville, Washington, and with Kate Smith of the Marshfield School of Weaving in Vermont. 

Beautifully crafted, hand woven scarves by by Suzanne Cali are a lovely accessory for an evening out, and perfect for casual and business attire.  Each scarf is made by hand, therefore no two scarves are the same. 

Her unique collection is available exclusively at Do Me a Favor.  

Glossary for weaving terms visit: 

http://www.yarn-methods.com/weaving-terms.html

 Do Me a Favor is a gift & home accessory store offering unique & functional items for the home, office, special occasions, and you! We provide gift wrapping services, valley-wide delivery & shipping within the US.